Forever in his memories
by Vertero
Summary: Memories are important to everyone, they allow everyone to have sense of identity. We learn from them and are made better from their existence. But what about for those that have none? Making new ones is the only option. Marie X protagonist. (ON TEMPORARY HIATUS).
1. Chapter 1

**Hey guys! Vertero here with my first Persona 4 fic. I just recently played Golden and its absolutely awesome. And so to commemorate my discovery of this game i decided to right this little piece.**

 **In case you can't tell this is a Marie X Protagonist.**

 **Oh yeah , and as a warning I want you guys to know that at the time of this stories creation i am still yet to complete the story, however i did max Marie's social link, so i may start twisting things for the sake of convenience. I do this only because at present there no explanations regarding things in the game like the Velvet room and it's connection to the protagonist.**

 **Well, I've rambled on long enough, enjoy!**

Cooking wasn't something he was particularly skilled at, but to say he was incapable of making even the most basic of meals was an insult that Kirei wouldn't let go unpunished. Sure he had made his fair share of cooking monstrosities that could hospitalise even the strongest of men, and he had. But he wasn't a bad cook! Nope, he was just an incredibly average cook who occasionally made things that were amazing but usually just made people shrug indifferently towards the taste of pretty much anything he cooked.

He was currently in the kitchen, an apron wrapped tightly around his chest. In front of him was a pot filled with some cooked rice and a few pieces of chicken on the side. Or at least that's what he told himself thirty minutes ago.

 _"Well, this is probably not going to end well"_ he muttered to himself as he stared at the boiling pot filled with what started out as a simple meal but then converted into black hard substance that seemed to be partly glued to the pot. Turning off the stove he packed up the black substance placed on a plate. This stuff probably wasn't edible, yup, he strongly doubted anyone would believe that this was rice. Just as he was about to dump it in the trash he heard Yosuke's voice call out to him.

"Hey Kirei, you done cooking already" the brunette said cheerfully as he walked up to him.

"Ah, yeah... sorta" he said uncertainly. Catching to his tone Yosuke glanced over at his plate and stared at it for a good minute. Beads sweat began appearing over his face.

"Well, that looks... Interesting. Um, what exactly did you make?" Yosuke said without tearing his eyes away from the plate.

"It was supposed to be just simple rice, but then i added some spices here, and little bit of vinegar there. And then I poured in some chicken. I looked away for just five minutes to cut some onions but when I returned, well it turned into this" the silver haired teen said as he hung his head dejectedly.

"Yeah, were not serving this stuff to Nanako-chan" Yosuke deadpanned. Like he needed to tell him that, no way would serve this slop to his uncle an cousin. "Maybe we could give it to Teddie. We certainly can't let this meal go to waste" Yosuke said with a suddenly dark aura emanating from him.

"Not unless you want him dead" Kirei said as he dumped his failed dish into the trash can. Knowing that bear, he probably did something to embarace Yosuke in front of his family, again.

"You think maybe we should just get some takeout instead?" Yosuke suggested as he leaned back against the counter.

"Yeah, that's probably a better idea than trying to cook something again" he said as he placed the pot into the kitchen sink and turned back to Yosuke. The sound of footsteps could be heard from the hallway leading upstairs, most likely Nanako's. Stepping into the kitchen Nanako glanced over at the two with a slightly surprised look.

"Big-Bro? Is the cooking done already?" the young girl asked with a curious look that prompted the said male to give reassuring smile.

"Oh, don't worry about dinner Nanako. We'll take care of it" he said with a smile as he walked up to her and patted her head playfully. Instead of greeting him with her usual happy smile Nanako replied with a simple "Okay Big-Bro" before sitting down and switching on the television.

She didn't seem in the mood for their usual sibling routine. Shrugging it off Kirei spoke up

"Hey, Nanako. Do you think you can watch the house while we step out for a little bit?" he asked.

"Yeah, sure thing. But where are you going?" she asked curiously.

"Just to buy some stuff, don't worry we'll be back before you know it" he said. After a quick nod from Nanako the two males stepped out the house and headed over to a nearby restaurant to order some food. It killed their wallets but at least they were able to accomplish their goal.

On the way back the two began conversing.

"Hey, Dude, is it just me or is winter here a little here sooner than usual?" Yosuke said as he tried to keep from shivering slightly. True, it had become increasingly cold as each day went by and it had already started around the outskirts of Inaba.

"Yeah, no kidding. I was shivering through my covers all night yesterday"

"Well at least schools gonna be closed for a while. By the way, you got any plans for Christmas, because I and the others have been thinking of throwing a party at Yukiko's place" Yosuke said.

"Oh, sure thing. Dojima's taking Nanako to Junes anyway so it I'll be home alone"

"Cool, it's settled then" Yosuke said cheerfully as they soldiered through the streets while trying to ignore the cold. Once they returned back home they found Dojima Nanako sitting down by the Tv. After having Quick dinner he waved Yosuke goodbye and returned back to his room to get some reading done on the couch.

As he read a sudden thought crossed his mind. " _I wonder if Marie would be interested in tagging along_ with us" he thought to himself. Considering how depressed she was about her inability to remember anything of her former life she could certainly use a distraction. And also he wasn't sure he'd able to enjoy his time with the others while knowing that his friend was going down to a dark pit of anger and fear. Her old memories would be constantly right on the tip of tongue, he was certain of it. But as soon she'd open her mouth to speak for some reason her mind would choose to forget, as though it was mocking her inability to remember anything.

" _I guess I'll tell her about it, whenever next she decides to pop out of the Velvet room"_ he thought as he continued reading. The next day, as soon as school was out he headed over to the shopping district where he saw Marie standing absentmindedly next to a light post. She had a slightly anxious look on her face that implied she had been standing there for a while.

Walking over to her he gave a friendly wave to get her attention. As soon as she glanced and saw who it was that was calling out to her she let out a relieved sigh which immediately turned into look of irritation.

"You're late Kirei" Marie said with an accusing look. Raising both his arms up in surrender he attempted to explain himself.

"Sorry, Marie. I had some extra club activities, so I couldn't come straight after school".

"Club activities? I don't know what that means, but whatever. Let's just get out of here, I don't think I can stand this place any longer" the girl said as she walk past him a little hurriedly. Following after her he asked where she wanted to go to which she replied stating "The Park. It's a good place to go when I want to clear my head"

Heading over to the park Marie let out a tired sigh when they finally made it to the large cliff overlooking the city.

"So, how should I start?" Marie asked as she turned back to him curiously, as though she expected him to know exactly what to do. Kirei sweat dropped slightly at suddenness of her words seeing as how she seemed to be the one in control today.

"Well, how about we start with some meditation" he suggested.

"Meditation? You mean that stuff Monks in the black box do before charging a super attack?" she inquired with blank expression.

" _What?"_ he thought. Where did she get that from? "Um, not exactly. Let's Just take a seat and do some breathing exercises" he said with an encouraging look.

"Alright, better than nothing I guess" Marie said as she sat down against a tree and assumed a common meditation position of having both feet folded with her hands resting on each one with her middle finger and thumb locking together.

"Now breathe in slowly" Kirei instructed. Marie obeyed and took a deep breath before exhaling.

"Nothing's happening?" Marie said after repeating the process three times.

"You can't force it Marie, you just have to let it come naturally". Not satisfied with his answer a very visible frown appeared on the girls face but she complied anyway and continued for another five minutes. Eventually the she grew tired of the task and stood back up with a visibly disappointed look in her eye.

"This isn't working, damn it! What'll it take for me to just remember the smallest detail" she yelled angrily, paying no heed to the stares she was attracting. It must have been tough not knowing who you are or where you came from. Marie didn't remember anything at all of her previous self. He could only imagine the amount frustration that caused her.

"Maybe we could-" he began when she cut him off.

"What, go fishing again, no thanks" she snapped at him angrily. "Arghh. Fine, forget it. I don't any of those useless memories. I'll just manage on my own".

"Don't give up just yet, there are still a few things we haven't tried" he said in an attempt to reassure her.

"A month, we've been doing this for a whole a month and I still don't remember even the smallest details! I'm sick of it" Marie yelled at him. The hopelessness in her eyes was a disheartening sight, one he didn't ever want to see. Taking a moment to compose herself she turned her gaze away from him.

"Sorry, I know your just trying to help. I must be a real pain huh?" Marie asked as she pulled her hat down so it could cover her face partially. He didn't like this side of her, it was too melancholy as opposed to her usual curious aura. And so to break her out of it he raised his right index finger and lightly poked her forehead.

Not expecting the gesture Marie yelped and stepped back in surprise. "Hey, don't just touch me like that, youstupidjerkface" she said with a visible frown which only brought a slight smile to the silverett's face.

"Sorry, you were acting unusual so I had to make sure you were Marie" he said with a teasing glint in his eye.

"Jerk" she muttered.

"I have an idea" he said suddenly.

"Like what?" she replied with a look that made him feel slightly uneasy. " _She looks like she wants to hit me"_ he thought.

"Me and others are going to have a party at Yukiko's house" he said. Upon hearing his words Marie subverted her gaze, she seemed to be depressed

"Reds having a party, well that's great for you" she said dryly.

"Uh huh, and I was wondering if you're interested in coming with me" he said with a hopeful smile. Looking back at him with a surprised look on her face Marie spoke.

"You want 'me' to come with you?" she said with a light blush forming on her face.

"Yeah, I'm not just gonna head over there and leave you in that stuffy room". After he said that line Marie averted her gaze from him in embarrassment.

"Yeah, I'll come, for sure. But when is it?" she asked happily. Suspecting that she likely wouldn't know what Christmas was he gave the exact date.

"Next Saturday" he said simply.

"Alright then… Um, thanks for inviting me" she said gratefully as she turned back to look at him with a smile. Next thing he knew Marie poked him in the eye which caused the male reel back in pain

"Ouch, what was that for" he asked as he covered his right eye in pain.

"Payback for poking me" she said as she turned away from him to stare at the view. Turning back to him with casual look she said. "Now that I have time to stop and think about it, this town is quite big". Trying to ignore the pain from his eyes he looked over the hill and peered down at the whole town.

"Really? In comparison to where I come from Inaba's rather small" he said as he glanced from one end of the town to another. Inaba Dwarfed most of cities he'd visited quite a bit, but that was probably why he liked it so much. Life was simple here, he didn't need to have any big worries. People who grew up here weren't loud, snobbish or nearly as superficial as the one's he constantly met in his former home in Kyoto.

"What do you mean? Your home town's even bigger than 'this'" she said visibly surprised look. Kirei couldn't help but think Marie would benefit from long road trip, to pretty much any city in Japan. The Velvet room was seriously narrowing her imagination.

He continued to converse about cities with Marie constantly barraging him with question concerning the way people lived in the larger cities and how it differed from Inaba. Even though they were talking about some very random things he had to admit, he was having fun talking to her, it was also rather cute when he contemplated the ridiculous nature of some of the questions she asked. And judging by the constant widening of her eyes in wonder when he told her about airplanes or really fast cars he could tell she was enjoying herself too.

Eventually it got late so he escorted Marie back to the Velvet room and waved her goodbye.

"Well I guess I'll see you later then" she said as she stepped into the Velvet room and disappeared, leaving Kirei standing in the street alone. Having no other reason to hang around Kirei returned back to the Dojima residence with a smile on his face.

 **Well here it is, I was originally hoping to make this one shot but then i realized it was getting way too long, so i'll just write the rest of it a second chapter.**

 **But until then, please read and review**


	2. Chapter 2

**Well here's the next chapter. It was way longer that expected**

Turning back he made his way back home where he found Nanako making some dinner while Dojima was reading a newspaper.

"Welcome home" Dojima said with a welcoming smile as his nephew stepped into the living room.

"Hey uncle, Nanako what are you cooking?" Kirei asked as he took his seat on next to the table

"Just fried rice Big-bro" she replied as she cooked. Deciding to switch on the television Dojima switched to the news channel.

" _And that concludes this latest commercial. Moving on to more recent news, the snow is predicted to be hitting Inaba a few days from now. Weather analysis predicts that its going to be quite heavy and residence are encouraged to not stay out too late"_ a young news woman from the TV.

"Christmas is quite close, isn't it" Dojima muttered as he sat leaned back on the couch. "I know you've probably already made plans to meet up with your friends on Christmas, haven't you"

Turning back to Dojima he replied.

"Yeah, were planning to meet up". Smiling slightly at him Dojima spoke back.

"Just try to not stay out too late, we don't need you getting sick" he said.

"Dinners ready!" Nanako said as walked over to them with some plates of fried rice. Laying down on the table she them to gather around. After having dinner with the rest of the family Kirei returned back to his bedroom where there were some unfinished assignments that he wanted to get off his chest.

The next few days were uneventful with him pretty much just hanging around with the others at Junes after school.

On the day when they were meant to go for the party he ended heading over to Okina to buy a new winter coat out of necessity. On his way back to town he decided to make to make a quick stop at Junes to buy some groceries.

"Sensei, welcome back" cried a familiar voice from behind him. Turning back he spotted Teddie waving towards him while handing out some balloons to kids.

"Oh, hey Teddie. How's it going?" he greeted as the bear approached him shortly after giving his last balloon to a kid.

"Yosuke keeps on dumping all his stuff on me for some reason. My silky fur can't this kind of abuse!" the mascot whiningly. Smiling in amusement towards the bears exaggerated reaction Kirei turned back to grab some vegetables from the shelf

"Really? Sure you didn't do anything to get him mad again" he said as peered through the shelf for any items he might have missed.

"Nope, I've been on my Bearest behaviour since the last time. And besides, keeping secrets like that is sure to stunt young Yosuke's social development, a true man doesn't need a swimsuit magazine, we just rake the ladies in with our sheer existence!" Teddie said a little too loudly causing a good number of women who were within earshot to scowl at him.

" _Yup, he's definitely gonna get slapped if he tries that on any random girl"._ Seeing that he had gathered all the necessary materials he turned back to bid the mascot farewell

"Well, I'll see at Yukiko's place then Ted" he said as he _gave_ Teddie a quick wave which he returned before returning back to the house. Nanako and Dojima had already stepped out so the small house almost felt a little haunted. At this point the snow was already bearing down hard so he made sure to put on lots of extra layers under his coat aa well as a beanie and some trusty gloves . Making his way of the house he made sure to lock the door before heading out.

Since Marie had never been to Yukiko's home before he knew she would be waiting next to the Velvet room entrance like she always did. And just as he predicted that was the case. He glanced up at the girl and saw that she was dressed in a full long sleeve blue winter coat with a long scarf wrapped around her neck to stave off the cold.

He was a little surprised to see that she actually had a coat since it was only just a single room, and did sentient beings even feel cold? Probably, otherwise there would be no need for the coat. Or maybe it was just to keep up appearances.

"Hey, are you just gonna keep on staring at me or are we going to that party?" said Marie's voice, instantly pulling him out of his daydream. Now that he was back to his senses he realised that Marie was standing right in front of him

 _"_ _Well that's emberracing"_ he thought as he offered the girl a sheepish smile. "Sorry, guess I zoned out"

"Whatever, you're late as usual. Do you enjoy keeping me waiting like this Kirei?" Marie asked right before giving a light punch to shoulder to emphasise her displeasure.

"Ouch, sorry about that, but you don't really have specified time of when your allowed out of the car" he defended as he rubbed his shoulder while feigning a pained look.

"Excuses as usual… Whatever, I guess you're a little right. Let's just go" she said impatiently.

"Right then, Follow me" he said while motioning for Marie to follow him. It was at least a fifteen minute walk to the Amagi inn. Before they had even made it half way he noticed the snow had picked up quite a bit. The streets were covered in a white by the unrelenting snow, making it feel more like they were trekking through an Arctic waste land.

Eventually the building came within eye shot, but one hurdle remained, the annoying hill the house was planted on top of. It was at times like these that he hated going there, well hated was strong term. Perhaps reluctant was more accurate.

The deep snow would make climbing it all the more challenging, especially when considering that he was almost up to his knees deep in the snow. Marie herself wasn't holding up much better, she had completely abandoned any attempt at speaking and gave walking her complete and undivided attention.

"Please tell me were almost there?" she muttered in between pants.

"Yeah, it's that building on top" he said reassuringly. He could tell she wasn't particularly fit seeing as to how she was already out of breath. Not surprising considering how much time she spent in the Velvet room.

When they eventually made it to the entrance they spotted Yosuke and Chie waving them in from the entrance. And without hesitation they walked.

"Hey guys, sorry were late" Kirei said as he rubbed his hands together.

"No problem man, I didn't you were bringing Marie with you" Yosuke replied dismissively.

"Yeah, hope you guys are cool with it"

"Of course, the more the merrier right". Noticing that Marie was freezing Chie decided to lend her hand in taking off her shoes.

"You must be freezing Marie-chan, how long were you guys out there?"

"Too long" Marie replied flatly. Turning back to Kirei she gave him an accusing look.

"Don't tell me you kept her waiting for you in the snow Kirei.

"Hey, I showed as fast as I could. And besides it's been snowing all day we would been freezing regardless of early we came"

"You shouldn't leave a girl standing around waiting, especially if you did the asking"

"Uhh… Anyway let's meet up with the others. Their waiting in the private living room for us" Yosuke said in attempt to cool things before they escalated any further. While she still had a few things she wanted to say to him she decided to let it go, and made it to the private living room where they say Yukiko and Kanji chatting about something while Rise seemed to be probing Naoto with questions. And judging red on the detective's face he suspected they were on something embarrassing.

But then again, it wasn't that hard to get Naoto flustered.

"Can we please stop talking about this Rise-san" Naoto said pleadingly.

"Sure, when you tell me what you were doing at the mall yesterday"

"like said, its nothing at all you just got the wrong idea" Naoto replied with a straight face, she was trying to keep calm but she wasn't at all doing a good job. Seeing them walk in Rise smiled welcomingly at them.

"Senpai and Marie-chan, took you long enough, it was boring in here without you"

"Sorry, the snow slowed us down"

"Understandable, its really coming down hard, I was a little worried some of you might cancel" Yukiko said from her seat.

"Well now that Senpai is here why don't we have some fun" Kanji said energetically to the rest of them, this seemed to spark an idea in Yosuke and he turned to Yukiko

"Now that he mentions, what should we do?"

"Oh don't worry, I've got a lot of fun activities planned for us. You guys can follow me to the game room" Yukiko said she stood up and urged the rest of them to follow her. Obediently, they made followed her to a large room that was big enough to host a huge get together, not surprising considering that her home was an inn.

As they entered the large they all let out an audible gasp of surprise and amazement

In the middle of the room was a large mat with lots of different circles. He didn't quite recall the name but he understood the rules. It involved two people who would have press their bodies against a coloured circle at a specific point on the mat without moving their other limbs from their position, the game required a flexible body.

Hanging against the wall to the left was a dart board next to shelf containing various other party stuff. Making their way to a large wheel resting on a paint ball Yukiko turned back to them.

"Well then since I couldn't decide on what we should do first I decided that to let this decide for us"

"Oh, I believe that's 'spin the wheel', right?"

"Yup" Yukiko chirped.

"Sounds like fun, give it whirl!" Yosuke encouraged. Placing her hand on the wheel Yukiko gave it hard spin, perhaps a little too hard cause thirty seconds later the thing was still spinning. When it eventually came to a stop the chosen game ended up being something called 'I Am'.

"What kind of game is that Yuki?" Chie questioned.

"Well you see, its game where you do your best impression of another person, anyone really" Naoto explained.

"Huh, that sounds hard. We impersonate someone? Like who"

"Anyone, they don't have to be real". As if on que Teddie stood while raising his hand high in a desperate grab for attention.

"Well then in that case let me give it a try"

"Huh, when did you get here?" Yosuke said in surprise. Ignoring his words the Bear stepped in front of them and cleared his throat

"Ahem… To be or not to be, incredibly handsome, I am forever cursed to draw every woman within a ten mile radius to my bearificent figure" Teddie with a dramatic. The rest of them simply just shared a few quick glances before turning back to him.

"Umm. Yourself" Chie said flatly

"Huh, how did you know?!" Teddie said in a mixture of shock and disappointment.

"Well for one thing, only you would use the word bear in sentence". Bowing his head down in shame Teddie stepped aside.

"So, who's next?"

"Oh, I'll give it a try!" Yukiko said happily as she stepped in front of them. Assuming a serious demeanour she lifted her arms up dramatically and spoke

"I-pffff" before she could even utter a word the girl broke down in a laughing fit, causing every to sweat drop in confusion.

"What's so funny Yukiko-senpai?" Naoto questioned with a baffled look.

"I was worried she would do that" Chie muttered with a deep sigh as she watched her best friend struggle to control her giggles.

"I'm sorry, its just-ahaha-too hilarious-hahahaha!" She said in between her laughs.

"I take it Yukiko is also imitating herself then" Yosuke muttered as he rubbed his neck. Well the party was off to a less than exciting start, thanks to Yukiko and Teddie. Next up was Yosuke who was pushed forward against his will by Chie who gave him an encouraging grin

"Hey, I didn't volunteer to go up next?" Yosuke complained. Chie responded with a teasing look

"But our only hope Yosuke, how else will we get this show on the road". Groaning in this pleasure he glanced over at Kirei who gave him encouraging thumbs up which only brought a frown to his. Squinting his eyes darkly at the smiling boy, Yosuke initiated a mute conversation.

" _Not funny, you jerk"._ Raised a sceptical eyebrow Kirei responded.

" _Really, you mean you don't wanna go, even a little?"_

 _"Of course not"_.

Taking a deep breath Yosuke took a moment to think of someone to imitate before speaking up in poorly imitated gruff voice.

"Astra la vista, baby!" Yosuke said. Every one remained silent for moment before Chie spoke up.

"I know! Mickeal Jackson"

"…What? How'd you get that?" Yosuke responded wondering how in the world she made that comparison.

"It's wrong?"

"Ah, yeah, it's not just wrong. Its way off the mark too!".

"Oh, I know! Is it the Terminator?" Naoto asked a bit timidly.

"Uh huh, I'm a little surprised you knew that one Naoto" Yosuke muttered as he folded his arms.

"My grandfather use to own it on Blu-ray" she replied. Glancing around the room Kirei couldn't help but smile at the sheer amount of things they could mess around with here, this was going to be a fun night.

* * *

"Truth or dare, Chie-senpai?" Rise asked with a devilish grin.

"Uhhh. Why'd it have to stop on me?"

Spin the bottle, one of the oldest party games out there and his least favourite. They had all sat in a circle around the bottle in the room, and after its first spin the first victim to taste its fire was Chie.

"Truth or dare?" Rise asked again.

"Uh… Truth" she said hesitantly.

"What's you're most private secret?" Rise asked slyly. This immediately resulted in Chie face to turn into a burning red.

"Uh no, I mean dare!"

Sorry no take backs" Rise replied dismissively.

"But-"

"You heard her Chie, no take backs" Yosuke cut in with teasing grin.

"Grrr. Fine then, I use to be a vegetarian" she said quicky.

"Somehow I find that hard to believe" Yosuke said causing her to cast him a look.

"Really, c'mon it's not fun if you don't give us something personal" Rise pressed. Groaning slightly Chie spoke up hesitantly

"Fine. I-I… I once accidentally watched an M-rated Movie!" she blurted while turning a dark shade of red.

"What, oh really I didn't think you were actually into that stuff Chie" Yukiko said with a shocked but understanding look.

"Accidentally? How did that happen?" Naoto asked picking up on her words.

"Look, it was in pre-school I didn't what my stuff meant. And one the boys in my class said it was Genre of Kung fu movies… But turns out it was just a porno" Chie said as she hung her head in shame.

"…Wow, that's a really embarrassing thing to admit Chie Senpai" Rise said. "I guess it's only fair that next person reveals something equally embarrassing" she said as she gave the bottle another twirl. This time it spun for a full twenty seconds before pointing at Yosuke who cringed.

"Called it" he muttered, likely implying that he knew it would fall on him.

"So, what's you're biggest secret"

"Wait don't I get to choose this one!".

"Not after what's happened to Chie. It's only fair Yosuke-kun" Yukiko said in agreement.

"Yeah, no backing out Yosuke" Chie said.

"Fine, I use to think canned soda was healthy" he muttered.

"What's that? Come on, give us something embarrassing". It didn't look like Yosuke was gonna get out this one, Kirei was glad it wasn't him.

"Jeez fine... My aunt once got drunk and tried to make pass on me" he said as he looked away in shame.

"What. Yosuke, did you actually-" Yukiko began to question when Yosuke cut in.

"Of course not, who do you think I am" he said before the rest of them got any ideas.

"Wow, I knew it was gonna be embarrassing but you might have actually one upped Chie-Senpai. Maybe you two are made for each other" Rise said with a teasing glint in her eye.

"Jeez, again with that. Not in a million years" Chie replied with deadpan expression.

"Gee, thanks a lot" Yosuke muttered in slight annoyance at her blank expression. Sensing the tension rising Kirei took the liberty of spinning the bottle before the two started another one of their spats. And as though the heavens decided to mess with him it stopped facing him

"Well then, I guess its you're turn then Kirei, Truth or dare?" Yukiko questioned. Taking a moment to look at Chie and Yosuke who had sunk back into themselves in mortification he felt a slight rush of anxiety, gees he hated it when this happened.

"Dare, bring it on" he said confidently

"Woah, you're awful gung-ho about this, looks we better make it extra hard" Rise said with a smile. Okay, what was up with Rise tonight, it was like she was enjoying the sense of control she had over the game. Something he suspected everyone else had picked up on.

"Okay, I dare you to... Act like a love sick womanizer who constantly makes innuendo's for the rest of the week" rise said.

"What" he replied in shock.

"Man she is really getting into this" Naoto said with a nervous smile.

"No take backs Senpai, I expect your best impression"

"But-"

"No but's"

"Ah..?" his mind was a little blank for a moment but then he remembered that he had to go through with it. " _Alright, no holes barred"_

"I don't know, that topic can become hot by _attempting to grasp at it_. And besides, _from the moment I get into it I don't think I can come out with a straight face_ "

Instantly everyone turned to him with a mixture of surprise and discomfort.

"…I don't now if I'm comfortable with Kirei talking like that" Chie spoke out.

"Indeed, it's a little odd, but that was rather impressive Senpai" Naoto said causing everyone to look

"Well, well Naoto, you like hearing him talk that way?"

"N-No, of course not! It was just impressive how seamless he made it look"

"I agree." said Marie causing them all to glance at the girl who thus far remained relatively.

"Hey, just because you're dating doesn't mean we need to know stuff like that" said Chie. Shrugging slightly Marie spoke back.

"Were not dating, I'm just pointing out a fact". Feeling a need to lighten the room he spoke up

"Trust me, it may hurt right now guys but from the moment you get into it, it'll feel rather natural". Okay that unintentionally sounded perverted, but cut him some slack.

"Not helping" Yosuke said. But it seemed that he succeeded anyway and before they knew they all broke into fits of laughter.

" _I'm really glad you invited me, thanks Kirei"_ Marie thought as she looked over at silver haired male and smiled without anyone noticing

 **Honestly, this chapter didn't come out nearly as well as I planned. I find it to be a little too dialogue heavy. As for the humor aspects, well I have now idea if this is even remotely humorous... I'd appreciate it if someone would leave a reviewing telling me what they think.**

 **I really hoped I could squeeze it all into a single chapter I but ultimately decided against it.**

 **The next chapter will be the final so stick around... Unless someone asks for more in which case I'll write an epilogue. But until then, please leave review!**


	3. Chapter 3

The moon illuminated the city at night, shining brightly and intensifying the snow that completely littered the streets all around. The streets were all but empty with the exception of just a few bystanders who made their way along the streets, trying to reach home as soon as possible.

Thankfully at this time of the night the snow had let up considerably, and had ceased its aggressive assault and thus making it much easier for people to discern where they were going.

Moving along the pavement next to the road where Kirei and Marie, the party had long since finished now and everyone had retired back home to get some rest, he only just needed to escort Marie back now. As the two them made their way across the street Kirei tried to strain himself to say something. For some reason an awkward silence had completely enveloped the two them.

For once it was Marie who spoke before him.

"Hey" Marie said without looking away from the street.

"What is it, Marie?" he asked while giving a toothy grin. It took her moment before she actually said something making him wonder what exactly was on her mind.

"This town, I really like it here" she said as she turned to him with a smile on her face.

"Yeah, it's certainly got a really welcoming feel to it. I don't ever feel like people here will judge me like those in bigger cities" he said as looked towards the sky thoughtfully.

"I wouldn't mind living out my life here, if I'm ever allowed to leave the Velvet room" she said. Picking up on her words he somewhat tempted to ask what her exact circumstances with that clean dressed elderly man with the shocking protrusion of a nose, but decided not to press her out of consideration.

"Hey?" said Marie.

"Yes"

"I've got a question" she said somewhat uncertainly.

"Ask away".

"Why do you do all this stuff for me?" she asked with serious look as she halted her steps and stared at him

"What do you mean?" he asked feeling slightly taken aback by her sudden stop.

"I mean, you're a persona user, you're constantly investigating the events surrounding the mid-night channel while trying to maintain a steady performance at school… Yet you take time to stay and help me, like my problems are just as important" . A part of him wanted to weasel out of giving her straight answer by making up some weak joke but the seriousness in her question made him think twice.

Now that she mentioned it she was right. He was busy, yet he always sub-consciously made time for her. Looking back he believed it had more to do with his fascination towards the two figures in the Velvet room than an actual desire to really befriend her. She was distant and a bit on the condescending side. So when Margaret asked him to take her out he was a bit perplexed as to what exactly they would do or go.

But over the short time they spent together, he found himself liking her. He found himself wanting to help her regain her memories. It was spontaneous, he hadn't even realized until now that he had actually become so close to her.

"Well, were friends aren't we?" he answered with a sheepish smile. Judging by her silence it seemed she wasn't satisfied with that answer.

"…Friends, right" she muttered. He could sense a shift in her attitude and couldn't help but worry if he said the right thing or not. The next thing she did made his heart skip a beat.

Turning to him she placed her palm on his chest, she then proceeded to run her fingers around it with a look that suggested she was deep in thought. He could feel the heat rising in his face despite his best efforts to keep a straight face. Raising her free hand she grabbed the fabric of his coat and rested her forehead against his chest.

Well, this was without a doubt the most intimate thing he had ever experienced. He had never dated before and as such he wasn't sure how to react. The feeling of her soft long fingers on his chest only made it more difficult to keep a straight face The dark haired girl remained silent the whole tome without saying a single word, seemingly content with her position. Part of his body was urging him to speak up but another part was telling him to remain silent, perhaps because he was enjoying the level of closeness they were sharing.

Wait! What was he thinking? This was Marie, he didn't view her that way, did he? It seemed like a lifetime had passed when he finally composed himself well enough to speak without sounding flustered.

"Um, Marie? Is something bothering you?"

"Hmm?" she replied without moving from her spot.

"You seem a little out of it"

"... I'm fine, its just… I've got something to tell you" the girl said hesitantly as she tightened her grip on his clothes.

Pulling away from him she looked Kirei straight in the eye. Her green orbs meeting ocean blue eyes, and he could see a great deal of emotion from them. Fear mixed with determination

"What is it?"

"Well I've been wanting to tell you for a long time now but, I couldn't work up the courage until now… I feel relaxed around you, like I don't have to worry about anything. At first it wasn't something I gave too much thought, but then it started growing…" Marie seemed to lose her will to speak momentarily and diverted her eyes away.

Wait! The way she was speaking, where was this going? He decided to stop his thought train before he jumped to any conclusion. When the girl eventually brought back her eyes to face his he hoped she wouldn't notice his nervousness.

"Look… I'm not very good at being up front but I'll try to just say it to you straight… I'm in love with you, Kirei" Marie grumbled out the last part but he heard her nonetheless.

Shock went through his body amplified by his already strong heartbeat. Marie just confessed to him, a love confession, and from her of all people. What was he supposed to say, it was just so out of nowhere. He needed to respond before she got any ideas.

"W-What? Are you serious?" he blurted out without thinking.

"Please don't make me say it again" she replied as she pulled her hat down to hide her Blush.

There was no hint of teasing in her voice, she was being honest here. He was certain of it, but the real question was whether or not he felt the same way. She was cute, he always knew that but up until now he had never actually viewed her in a romantic light.

As though time itself had frozen to watch them, the streets became completely silent. He looked over at Marie and noticed how anxious she appeared, and so to try and calm her down he folded his arms and assumed his more laid back demeanour.

"Marie. I don't really know what to say, I'm touched-" raising his right index finger he pushed her chin up so she could see his face while hoping she would calm down, and hopefully not twist finger for invading her personal space, again. "-. Well since you're being honest here I guess I'll do the same".

"I like you Marie, but I don't really know if I like you that way… But I suppose you've made a good point, I don't really know why but I feel a more at ease with you than with my other friends"

"You do?"

"Yes I do. Maybe it's because you served as a good distraction from Shadow's and school work, maybe It was just curiosity… But regardless I want you to know that I think you're a very special and irreplaceable friend, and always will be" he said with a embarrassed grin.

Jeez, what was he saying, if kept this up he wouldn't be able to keep a straight face the next time he saw her. But judging by the look she had he felt urged to carry on anyway.

"I don't know how I feel about you… But I'm willing to explore this together. If it's alright with you?" he said with his voice slightly cracking at the end. Laying out his feelings like this was emotionally exhausting but he was willing to try for her.

"…Jeez, why do you always know exactly what to say?" Marie said as she rubbed her eyes with her sleeves. He would have been alarmed if not for the casual manner in which she said it. Suddenly she started snickering slightly.

"What so funny?".

"Nothing special, this just isn't how I imagined you're reply. According to the poem I read, you're supposed to straight up accept and fight my many admirer's in a duel to the death" she said with a small giggle. "But you're a little too skinny for it".

"Ah, no thanks, I'm not too good at duels to the death. Thanks for the mental image of myself in Chainmail though, that's not leaving anytime soon" he said with a hint of sarcasm.

"So you really accept me then"

"Hmm?"

"You know, the confession"

"Oh, yeah, I accept" he replied reassuringly. But now that he had accepted her as a 'girlfriend' he wasn't too sure of what to do next. What did couples do anyway? "Let's try taking it slow, it'll help us both get a proper feel of what dating feels like" he suggested.

"Well in that case can we try, holding hands?" the girl suggested as she outstretched her palm towards him. Feeling slightly timid all of a sudden he couldn't help but sense Izanagi let out an amused laugh from within him.

" _Great, now even my persona thinks this is funny"_ he thought as he took her hand in his and felt her soft fingers lock around his knuckles.

"Well this is going to take some getting used to" Marie said while trying to hide her blush under a smile, but failing miserably.

"I don't know, I think I could get use to this" he boldly stated. What? It wasn't everyday he got to tease Marie like this, could you blame him for exploiting this opportunity. Unsurprisingly the temperature on her face rose a little.

"…That's good, me too" she said as she grabbed his elbow with her free hand and stood closer to him. It was an eerie feeling, being so close to a girl, but he took it in stride and smiled back.

"Well then, shall we head back to the Velvet room?" he asked.

"You're kidding right, no way, I want us to head to the to that Tateyama restaurant down the street" she said as she pointed to three story restaurant across the street with said title.

"Um, I 'm guessing you've got like hundred thousand yen in that bag if you're expecting to dine there". His entire allowance combined with his pay from his part time job wouldn't amount to half the needed amount to pay for a meal there. Pouting slightly at his words Marie replied.

"I'm not saying we should eat anything there, there's just a really interesting machine there I'd like to use" she replied.

"Umhmm, and this can't wait till tomorrow?"

"No" Marie said flatly as she yanked him along a detour on a detour to the famed restaurant.

" _This is going to be a long night"_ he thought as lowered his head in resignation and allowed her to drag him along.

* * *

 **1 week later.**

"Not over there!"

"Sorry"

"I can still feel you're hand rising up. Show some restraint"

"Sorry"

Was this how real couples acted, he was pretty sure the answer was no. They were attempting to be intimate at the moment, but he wasn't really sure if this was how it was supposed to work. It was Marie's suggestion that if they tried to do things like cuddle or make out he might suddenly realise how he felt. But this was just too awkward to be really helpful.

They were both sitting on the couch in his bedroom facing each other with Marie's arms wrapped around his shoulder. The position wasn't exactly comfy and he wasn't too sure what to do with his hands. He had tried placing them around her waist but found himself having to lower his lower shoulders in a strange angle. So instead he tried rubbing her stomach, which for some reason she seemed to like.

Being the proud Heterosexual male he was he tried to push his luck and slowly raised his arm up to her chest. Unsurprisingly she noticed midway.

"This isn't as easy as I expected… Kirei, cut it out" she said when she felt his arm rub close to her chest again. "Why is my chest the only place your hands are interested in?"

"Sorry, I'm a guy. I can't help it" he replied unashamedly. Unamused Marie pushed his hand off her.

"Screw it, skip the foreplay and let's get right into it" Marie said

"I hope that wasn't innuendo"

"No it wasn't. You and you're diseased mind"

"Hey, isn't that proof that I'm starting to love you?"

"No, its proof that you're a pervert"

"Same difference"

"What's that supposed to mean?". He was about to retort but remained silent when he saw her fingers twitch for the briefest moment into a fist. Probably best to not tease her too much. "Whatever. Just close your eyes, I want to try kissing" she said somewhat impatiently.

His very first kiss, would it be as passionate and blissful as people made it look on television, he had to admit he was curious. Though this wasn't at all how he'd imagined it. Jeez he could only imagine the trouble he'd be in if uncle Dojima found out about this… Wait did this mean he was rebel now.

He pulled out of his train of thought when he saw Marie's face arching closer to him and closed his eyes. This was it the moment his whole life was building up to, the kiss. He could her breath on his face and knew she was close. It seemed like an eternity passed as he sat there, feeling the sweat on his back from nervous anticipation. And then their skin met… But not in the way he expected.

He was pretty sure she just kissed his nose. Opening his eyes Marie instantly backed up and turned away from him.

"Did you just, miss?" he asked with a half amused look.

"Shut up. I just got nervous okay!" she yelled back without turning back

"We don't have to do this you know" he said with an understanding look. "You don't have to force yourself"

"I'm not forcing myself, it's just my first time" she said as she placed her palm on his chest and pushed him onto his back.

"Alright then" he said even though he wasn't convinced. Taking off her hat she proceeded to Crawl on top of him and position her face right above his. He could tell she was feeling embarrassed by the red on her cheeks and the sweat forming on her, not that he was faring much better since he could feel the burn on his face. Figuring he needed to do something before she fainted he offered an encouraging smile.

Lowering her head slowly he instinctively closed his eyes. When their lips finally met he made sure to stay perfectly still and alowed the feeling to register. Her lips where soft and unmoving but at the same time tender. Her lips remained unmoving for a moment and then she proceeded to kiss him again. Nudging his face forward he returned the gesture. After a few awkward minutes of exchanging shy pecks on each other's lips they found themselves getting into it and before he knew it the kisses became deeper, more passionate. Almost as though a fire had been lit from within them

Raising his arms and wrapping them around her back he let her rest her full wait on him. The light feeling of heat radiating from her thin figure felt good. Feeling comfortable he disengaged from her lips and instead left a trail of kiss along the base of her neck. Thankfully Marie seemed to like it and smothered him with grazes around his face. They both got so swept in the moment that they both jumped slightly when they heard a light knock on Kirei's door.

"Kirei are you alright in there? I heard some noises" said Dojima's voice. Feeling his senses return he responded back swiftly.

"I just fell over, it's nothing at all" he responded while hoping his uncle wouldn't become suspicious.

"Are you sure you're alright, Nanako said she heard a strange moan"

"Yeah it hurt a lot, but I'm okay now" he responded. He knew Dojima didn't buy it but thankfully he decided to back off and went back downstairs. Turning his head back to Marie who kept silent during the whole exchange he noticed that she was still lying on top of him.

"We should probably end things here for today" he said

"I suppose you're right, I wouldn't want to get you in trouble" she conceded despite the clear pout on her face. This in turn made a teasing smile to appear on his face

"Moaning huh? I guess I must be pretty good at this" he said causing the girl look away in shame

"Shut up, jerk. I got a hickey thanks to you. Jeez, what would Margaret say if she saw this" she said as she rubbed her neck.

"Hey don't act like it's all my fault, you gave me a hickey too" he responded evenly. She didn't grace him with a reply and diverted her gaze to his television. He was enjoying the feeling of closeness they were sharing and he was quite tempted to just stay that way, but the rational part of him urged him to speak up.

"Much as I enjoy being you're personal sofa, I think you should get back to the Velvet room before My uncle comes back" he said. Turning back to him Marie frowned.

"I suppose so" she said as she lifted her body off him straightened out her clothes. Standing up he grabbed her hat which lay discarded on the floor. As a show of affection he ignored her outstretched hand and placed the hat on her head himself.

"So have you decided yet?" she asked.

"On?"

"The confession, it's been a week Kirei. And I want to know you're answer". Right, the confession. He hadn't forgotten, but he was fairly certain of how he felt.

Admittedly, it was more than just Ignorance regarding matters of the heart that made it hard for him to give a straight answer. He was also a little scared of making commitments of any kind. He was far too blunt and sarcastic, surely she would have preferred someone more understanding and polite.

And after a whole week of going out to various places together he couldn't deny he felt something for her. He wanted to be with her, he wanted her to depend on him, but there was still that nagging feeling at the back of his mind that someone like him would end up hurting her in some way.

"Marie, if I may ask. What exactly is it about me that you like?" he asked. Raising her head up to look at him she fixed him with a slightly surprised look.

"I, well do you really need to ask. You've been there for me all this time, because of you I'm not hung up over my memories anymore" she said while looking deep into his eyes. Almost as though she could see into his soul.

"But even so, I'm not exactly the most sensitive or charming guy"

"Who cares, charming and sensitive is overrated anyway"

"Even thou-" he began when she cut him off.

"It doesn't matter what you say to me Kirei, I'm in love with you and that's not something I can just wish away" she said as she stroked his cheek. Smiling back at her he couldn't help but feel a little overwhelmed by the amount of sincerity in her voice.

"And I thought I was the one who didn't mince words" he muttered with an amused smile. "Thank you Marie. I think I-"

"Big Bro you should come back down, dinners almost ready" Nanako said from the hallway. Turning over to the door he told Nanako he'd be down in a second before turning back to Marie.

"I guess that's my cue then" he said as he kissed her lightly as a farewell gesture and watching as she disappeared in a flash of blue dust before him.

Since it likely wouldn't be wise for him to keep them waiting and run the risk of making his uncle any more suspiciously he immediately exited his room and joined the rest of the family for dinner.

* * *

 **I suppose there's not much point in calling this a short story anymore since every time I write a chapter it turns out there still a while to go before I get to the end. Well at any rate there's not much left to go until I reach the end. It shouldn't take more than at least two more chapters, no guarantees though.**

 **Well then, until the next chapter comes please read and Review. It'll help me update faster.**

 **-Vertero out.**


	4. Chapter 4

"I am but a drop of blood,  
Staining the floor like spilled drink.

My death comes slowly, but surely, I know in my heart  
that this pain was worth it, for my death rejuvenates the land and breathes life to plants.  
Plants! Plants that will one day retake the land.

And with that sentiment, I pass on with a smile on my face"

-Marie.

No, no, no. This simply wouldn't though, it was far too upfront. Poetry was meant to be subtle. Give out some context but never spell it out. Gritting her teeth Marie cancelled the little poem she spent the whole evening trying to write and turned to the next page of her little jotter.

It was cold, but she didn't mind. The sensation of the icy wind blowing against her face kept her awake. It was late in the night at the town park, she was sitting on a small bench that stood just a few feet from a frozen lake. She liked to come here at night, the way the winter moon illuminated the park, the sound of the rustling trees. And the complete absence of anyone. It gave the park a level tranquillity she couldn't find the anywhere else.

The only down side would be the fact that the snow completely blocked out the parks smell. The ecstasy inducing smell of flowers, roses and cherry blossoms. If anyone couldn't tell right now, Marie was feeling especially good about life at the moment.

And this feeling of constant jubilation was a direct result of her new found relationship. Nothing could possible ruin this for her, no matter what the future held. So long as she had Kirei next to her she felt she had no reason to fear. Not that she thought about her future often though, since poetry was pretty much her only hobby outside of exploring the city and finding knew wonders.

Of course she still needed Margaret or 'the noses' consent before she could step out of the limo unfortunately. Though there was one thing that was stuck on her mind that she couldn't quite put her finger round. Margaret often told her not to leave the Velvet room at specific times of the day otherwise her existence would start wavering. Strange, she didn't really get what she was talking about but the stern look in her eye made her take her teachers words to heart.

But this was one night she just couldn't miss, and so she stepped out of the Velvet room while Margaret and 'the nose' were out. And it was well worth it. The only down side to this would be the especially poor quality of her latest poem. She was struggling to find the right words to describe her feelings. The feelings of bliss and harmony surrounding this place, but also an icy loneliness.

"I am but ice statue in a lonely forest devoid of life, yet full of beauty" she said to herself as she wrote down those exact words onto her jotter with lightning fast penmanship.

"Huh, is that a poem?" asked a soft feminine voice causing Marie to gasp and wheel round towards the voice. It was familiar face, but not one that she was especially fond of. Her dark brown twin tails was blatant give away to anyone in who lived in Inaba. The former pop idol Rise Kujikawa.

The girl was dressed in a pink winter coat with a matching scarf to cover her neck with a friendly smile plastered on her face. She would have been fine if it was anyone else among Kirei's handful of friends, but just had to be Rise. It wasn't that she didn't like her, no she'd be perfectly fine if not for the fact that the Idol constantly tried to get between her and Kirei, and it irked her to no end.

"Y-Y-You! Why are you here?" she asked with the colour fading from her face.

"Oh, sorry I didn't mean to scare you?" Rise said with a calm smile as she folded both arms behind her back. Taking a deep breath she tried to calm herself before fixing her with an accusing look.

"How long were you listening?" she asked with a deep scowl.

"I only just heard the last part. Don't worry I wasn't ease dropping" she said with a defensive.

"Do you swear to it?"

"Yes, I swear. Wow, I hadn't realized you were into poetry. I always thought you were the sort of girl who liked music and shopping" she said with a teasing smile as she walked around the bench stood next to her.

Feeling rather insecure Marie didn't take her eyes off her as she quickly stuffed her jotter into her bag. Seeing how tense she was Rise attempted to lighten the mood by turning over to the icy lake and looking at the silver moon. Suddenly the girl took deep audible breath.

"This place is beautiful, do you come here often Marie?".

"No, not that often. I'm not allowed to leave the room at night" she replied as she turned over to lake and joined Rise in her moon watching.

"Well, that's pretty natural for parents I guess. You can never be too careful" she said in an understanding voice.

"Parents? They're not my parents" Marie said sharply. For some reason the girls innocent statement made her feel a little irritated. Likely because it served as a reminder of her lost memories.

"Oh, you don't live with your parents, so do you stay with any of you're relatives?" she asked curiously.

"No, it's just some people who take care of me" Marie said as she sat back down on the bench while trying to think of the best answer. "They're my guardians" she stated.

"Oh I see" Rise said as she took a seat on the bench. Tapping her finger against the hard wood Rise tried thinking of a way to keep the conversations rolling. Honestly Marie was making zero effort at talking to her making it a rather awkward and one sided conversation, but Rise wasn't one to be discouraged easily and with renewed vigour she tried speaking to her. "So, where do are you from Marie?"

At that question Marie squeezed her mind for anything even the slightest detail and as expected nothing came up. She knew that Rise had good intentions and wasn't trying to make fun of her but that didn't stop the annoyance building up in her.

"I…I don't know"

"What? What do you mean by that?"

"I said I don't know, back off already!" she growled at the girl causing the girl to jump slightly. She could tell by the hurt look Rise was giving her that she had gone too far. And not too surprisingly Rise frowned back at her with a clear dislike in her eye.

"Geez, you're such a difficult person to talk to you know that" the idol said as she stood up and brushed herself off. A part Marie was telling her to apologise and she was about to do so if not for the next painful words the girl would throw at her.

"I-" Marie started when she sharply cut off by Rise.

"I don't wanna hear anything more. I actually thought that we could be friends you know, even though you're in relationship with my first crush. I just thought 'why let a guy come between us' but I guess I was stupid to actually think that" Rise said as she glowered at her.

Attempting to calm her down so she could explain things Marie opened her mouth to speak but was cut yet again.

"Hey, just listen-"

"No you listen, Marie. I don't know what it is that Sensei sees in you, but that's fine. Oh and you don't have to worry about me getting between you guys, if Senpai likes you then I won't interfere, if only because I care about him as a friend. ". And with a final glare the brunette turned on her heel and stormed away leaving Marie feeling especially ashamed of herself even if it wasn't her intention to hurt Rise.

"Rise wait, I'm sorry" Marie called out as she stood up. But the girl didn't bother looking over her shoulder much less stopping.

Great, she really was a horrible person. Looking back now she always regarded Rise with a certain degree of antagonism but was only because of her closeness to Kirei, she felt that if she wasn't assertive then she wouldn't be able to compete with a girl like her. It was only natural that the two would dislike each other, then did she feel so bad now.

Sighing to herself she began walking back to the Velvet room, her mood was ruined so there wasn't really much point in trying to write the poem. And also, if she stayed out any longer than she already had Margaret would likely reprimand her.

Then all of a sudden her body stopped, and then a sharp pain went through her head. Falling onto her knees Mare clutched her forehead tightly while gasping in pain.

"What is...? Ahh!" she yelled as the pain doubled. It felt like her head was going to explode. The pain continued to rise rapidly. "Uhhh... Someone help" she said in a pained voice as she felt the strength leave her body, it was getting hard to speak. Was this what Margaret warned her about, the whole 'wavering existence'.

It had now reached excruciating levels like someone was bashing at her head with steel knuckles. Collapsing under the weight of her body Marie lay on her side. The pain hadn't subsided, she couldn't move, scream or cry even she wanted too. All she could do was just silently suffer through it until she would pass out or die. Both seemed very possible.

But at just before her closed completely she saw a flash of blue and a pair of legs come into view.

* * *

When she opened her eyes again she was greet a familiar blue ceiling. Her sight was still blurred and her senses hadn't fully returned but she could tell that this was the Velvet room.

"Ah, it seems her consciousness has returned sister" said soft feminine voice that she didn't fully recognize.

"So I see, give her some space Elizabeth" said another female voice. This one she recognized to be Margaret even though her hearing felt somewhat off.

"I agree, you could frighten her positioned like that" said a third voice, except this one was masculine. Raising an arm to rub her eyes Marie could make out a single figures face a little more clearly. She looked very much like Margaret except she was much younger in appearance and had short silver hair that curled around her chin.

"Yes, I understand. I just find this girl to be rather interesting. She in not bound to the Velvet room by a contract yet she can freely enter and leave at her leisure. Much like our guests, yet she does not require a wild card or persona to do so. She isn't human, but she also doesn't have much to classify her as one of us. Just who is she?" the girl mused with a curious smile full of wonder and fascination.

"Elizabeth, you do realize she can hear you, don't you" said Margaret's voice in a calm yet stern voice that made the girl assume a more serious demeanor.

"Ah, yes. I apologize for my slip in conduct sister" the girl named Elizabeth said as she stepped away from Marie.

"Who…?" she started when her voice broke down. Seeing Margaret appear next to she couldn't help but feel a little relieved that there was at least one familiar figure.

"How are you feeling Marie?" Margaret asked with a concerned look. She wanted to sit up and properly face the woman but for some reason her body felt completely numb and didn't respond to her commands.

"I can't move" she said in weak voice prompting her to look over to the male that was currently outside her field of vision and instruct him to release her. It hardly took a minute before she felt all her energy return back to her body and Marie sat up and took in the environment.

She could tell that this was the Velvet room, it had that strange other worldly feel to it that she was accustomed to. But unlike the Limo this one was much more spacious with a single entrance at the end of the room.

"What am I doing here?" she asked while still feeling a little dazed.

"I felt you're aura getting weaker at a Rapid pace and converged on your location as quickly as I could" Margaret explained. Oh yeah that was right, she was on her way back when headache sprung up from out of nowhere. No it worse than any ordinary headache, it felt like insides were being set on fire.

"You're quite lucky that Margaret showed up when she did, any longer and your body would have surely perished" said the unseen male. Turning her head in the direction of the voice Marie saw a young male who appeared almost identical the girl. Short silver locks with inhumanly bright gold eyes and pale skin. Kinda like… Margaret.

She did a quick double take on the two strangers then looked back at Margaret.

"Are you guys related?" she asked to which the three of them nodded.

"Yes, these are my two younger siblings Elisabeth and Theodore. I suppose I never mentioned them to you" Margaret said as she gestured with her hand at the two.

"It's a pleasure to make you're acquaintance Marie" Theodore said with a polite bow.

"Indeed, we hope you enjoy you're stay here" Elizabeth said as she bobbed a curtsy to her. They both seemed nice enough but the girl's words didn't go unnoticed.

"Um, it's nice to meet you but. What do you mean by 'stay'?" Margaret didn't hesitate to speak up first.

"You're aura's stabilized now but there's no telling when it'll begin fading again. For your own safety I've asked Elisabeth and Theodore to stay here and take care of you" Margaret explained. So in other words she was confined here until further notice.

As thought she could sense the response coming Margaret added. "Of course you're not being forced to stay here. But if you choose to leave there's no guarantee we'll be there in time to save you" her face was blank, her voice didn't betray anything. But her eyes showed off a certain emotion that felt like she was pleading for her to stay here.

Weighing down her options it wasn't hard to see what the smart choice was. But still, just how long would she be confined to this room until she would be released. The level pain and sheer helplessness she felt were immeasurable at that one moment, the thought of ever having to experience it again sent a shiver down her spine. Needless to say, she wasn't keen on going back out at the moment.

"It's alright I'll stay here until you decide it's okay to leave." She said obediently, after all she was the one that disregarded Margaret's instructions of leaving the velvet room in the first place.

"I see, then I leave in you in their care for the time being. Try to relax in the meantime" Margaret said with small smile before bidding her siblings goodbye and exiting the room.

"Well then, Theodore why don't' fetch our guest something to drink" Elizabeth said in a much more upbeat manner. Clearly she was only maintaining that demeanour for her sister.

She wasn't sure how long she'd be here a few days, a week, maybe a month. If Kirei was here he'd probably pass some snarky comment to get her mind off things, he was always good at cheering her up. Though usually by making himself bigger problem than whatever it was that bothering her.

"Well, better suck it up I guess" she whispered to herself before standing up and asking Elizabeth for any unused pens and papers they might have had lying around that could use for a quick pathos.

 **And yet another chapter that further proves that I probably won't be able to keep this story lest than five chapters long. Oh well, I guess we'll get there when we get there.**

 **Well then stay tuned for future updates for this story and as always please leave a review. Constructive criticism is always welcome and do feel free to call me out for any mistakes I might have made (I probably did).**


	5. Chapter 5

It had been two days now since Margaret had left her here with her two younger siblings, Elisabeth and Theodore. Both of whom where more than a little odd, Elisabeth always seemed to have something new to ask her regarding what she thought of the way human's lived and how she found life as an apprentice to Margaret and the nose. A little talkative but likable for the most part.

Theodore on the other hand tried to reserve himself more and kept from asking questions even though it was rather obvious that he had more than a few inquires of his own. But in a way he had more gentlemanly sort demeanor, which his sister never hesitated to exploit. she had just sent him out on another errand leaving the two them alone.

"Tell me Marie, do you know what this is?" Elizabeth asked as she raised a small red box in front of her. It had a rather peculiar design to it, one she recognised faintly. The box was held in place by a blue ribbon that rapped around it on each side with an interesting double knot tied around the top to keep it being opened.

"Its a little familiar" Marie responded with a small shrug as she took the box from the girl and laid it down on her lap. Tugging on the ribbon she felt surprised by just how soft and brittle it felt, she felt she could probably rip it off if she wanted. "Pretty poor protection this things got" Marie said as she ran her fingers around the box.

"Ah, that's what I thought as well" she said with a satisfied smile.

"What's inside?"

"I'm not entirely sure, I Mostly choose it for its craftsmanship" Elizabeth explained as she took the seat next to Marie. "There are quite a lot of them in the shopping district. I hear its to commemorate the seasonal festivities"

"So you mean its a... Whats the word? A Cristmas peanut?" she asked not completely certain if what she said was correct. She could recall Red mentioning it before that she liked buying Cristmas peanuts.

"Indeed, people give these small boxes wrapped around with a bright colored ribbon to their closest loved ones.". Pondering over the girls words Marie gazed at the box on her lap intensely. She had a point, just a single glance at it spoke volumes about it. The ribbon was far more akin towards ornamental purposes than for protection.

"So in other words, the people who make this stuff are more concerned with making it look attractive than keeping it safe from thieves. Huh, that's pretty dumb" Marie muttered under breath. Despite her words something told her she would probably try to get one for Kirei provided she could leave before the season ended. Not that she had money on her to begin with. Giggling slightly Elisabeth nodded in agreement.

"Quite true, its rather unwise to prioritize appearances over safety. unless of course they make them under the assumption that its not going to be stolen". Suddenly the entrance started shinning and Theodore stepped into the room while holding a large pile of boxes that were stacked on top of each other. He seemed to be out of breath.

"Oh, your back" Marie said as she looked over at him.

"Ah, welcome back brother. How was your outing?" Elisabeth asked with a welcoming smile. Looking over at his sister with exhaustion all over his face Theodore dropped the boxes neatly on one the side and walked over to them.

"Rather tiring. Elisabeth, why are you so fascinated by these boxes all of a sudden?" Theodore asked as he tried to catch his breath.

"Do you really need to ask after having experienced human culture for yourself. The oblivious nature of their existence, their diversity. All things we don't get to experience" the girl said with a passionate look. Marie could practically see the stars in her eye. In that one moment Elizabeth sounded like a six year old on a sugar rush and Theodore the exasperated parent. It was especially funny considering the fact that she was the elder sibling.

Looking at her with a look that was torn between exasperation and confusion Theodore glanced over at the pile of 'Cristmas peanuts' and rested single arm on his waist.

"So why don't we begin unwrapping these presents, with any luck there just might something worth keeping" Elisabeth said as she stood up and walked over to the large pile of presents with her arms locked behind her back. Naturally Theodore was less than interested in doing more work after his little outing and quite frankly looked like he needed somewhere to rest, but the short time she had spent here had taught her that Theodore was willing to do most tasks for her even if he wasn't at all inclined to do so. At first she had just assumed that he was just really nice and gentlemanly but now she was beginning to suspect he had more to do with his mental conditioning. It was certainly possible, the former was also possible... Or maybe he was just a pushover. She was probably overthinking this.

Kneeling down in front of the large pile they both picked up a random box from the pile and started unwrapping it.

"Would you care to join us Marie? believe there's plenty for all of us" Theodore said with an inviting smile as he looked at her over his shoulder. Seeing that she didn't really have anything better to do here she stood up and joined them in their little game of unwrapping boxes. For now she would just have to make the most of her situation, though she still couldn't help but wonder what Kirei was doing now.

* * *

Everyone has at least one thing they're good at right. That was what his Dad always told him whenever he was faced with a difficult task be it studying for his school exam or sloughing through the kitchen trying to make something edible, the latter usually not having the best results for him. He pretty much sucked at most sports despite his tall appearance and his drawing abilities in preschool were laughably bad, his classmates had made that point thoroughly obvious by the uncontrollable laughter that usually followed whenever someone had a look at anything drawn by him.

With that said he was especially good at fixing electronics be it old out of date phones, radios, dvd players and even computers, like the one he was fixing right now. No one ever taught these skills to him they just came naturally to him. Weird right, but useful. The group had all decided to meet up at Naoto's house to hang out after a long week of exams. Well by decided he meant Teddie had decided for them, it was decided over lunch time at school when he offered to help Naoto fix her computer after hearing about a little accident that involved hot coffee spilling on a dozing detective late at night, and a certain laptop tumbling down the stairs.

Although she reluctantly accepted his offer it resulted in Teddie pointing an accusing finger at said detective that they never gathered at her house for anything. And well, the rest is history.

The computer he was trying to fix right now was the new VX-300Razor, one of the latest PC's available to the Japanese public. And it only seemed fitting that advanced piece of hardware would belong to the young detective sitting directly across from him.

"Hmm, you seem to be quite good at this. Where did you learn how work a computer Senpai?" Naoto asked curiously as she sipped the coffee she had prepared for her and the rest of the group. Without taking eyes away from the computer he replied while using a screw driver to release the battery case.

"Well you see it all started a long time ago in a world far far away-" he began in a whimsical manner when he was cut off by Chie.

"Oh no you don't, quit using ever personal question people ask you as an excuse to make Star Wars references" she said with a semi-joking expression. Looking up at her Kirei feigned a hurt look.

"You don't like the references, I'm hurt... Then how about an old western cartoon reference?".

"No, anything but that" she replied with a deadpan expression. Disappointing but not really surprising since most people had little tolerance for his jokes, oh well the only down side of playing the clown was that most people wouldn't find you funny.

Shrugging slightly he flipped the laptop over and pulled out the CPU and motherboard. Carefully examining each piece carefully he noticed some light scratches and bends around the edges. Well this was right up his alley, he was know whiz when it came to software errors or viruses, but so long as he had right tools he could probably fix only thing worth thinking about was why it was damaged in the first place.

"So, you guys wanna head into the TV anytime soon" Kanji said offhandedly causing everyone in the room to look at him in surprise.

"Huh, why? There haven't been any disappearances happening recently" Chie replied from the comfort of one the large squishy sofa's that decorated the Shirogane living room.

"Well, yeah but schools boring and besides we've gotta keep sharp if wanna be prepared for anything right?" he replied quickly. The look on his was telling a different story despite the logic behind his words. Kanji just wanted to smash something, preferably a shadow. He understood the feeling, heck they all did but since there wasn't any reason to jump back into the TV no one bothered talking about it.

' _Everyone's been waiting for that question to come back since the investigation ended'_ he thought to himself with a concealed smile.

"I guess you have a point, this weeks been dragging along pretty slowly" Yosuke said in agreement. He sounded even more interested in the idea than Kanji was. Pausing his work to look up at his friends he could see that they were both quite serious about the idea despite clear efforts on their part to make it less obvious. Chie and Yukiko exchanged glances before speaking up.

"Actually, I think it would be nice to go in for a little training too, I've kinda missed the idea of us all being a secret team" Yukiko said while Chie gave a sheepish look.

"Yeah, I guess so" Chie said with a smile. Looking over to Naoto, Teddie and Rise. Naoto gave a simple shrug while Rise smiled in approval, Teddie in the other hand gave a full on cheer.

"Yeah! Finally, i was wondering when you guys would speak up about this" the blonde said excitedly. Glancing over to Kirei Yosuke grinned enthusiastically.

"What do you say partner, shall we go kick some shadow ass.". Matching the boys gaze Kirei grinned back at him.

"Do you really need to ask? Of course we will!. And so the it was decided that the team would meet up at Junes next Friday. Since the winter season was still on there was no doubt that Junes would be a lot more packed than usual. After a few more hours of careful work Kirei was able to repair the damage done to the detectives computer.

He was currently on his way back home when he decided to make a little detour and go the Velvet room. If they were going back into the TV he wanted to make sure his persona's were strong enough for anything they might face. He needed to be careful about these things, that and he also needed to check up on Marie since he knew she hated it whenever he was away for more that three days, all the relentless toe stubbing and ear pulling she gave him whenever she felt neglected had gotten the point across. Of course they were all in good nature but it still hurt anyway.

"Welcome to the Velvet room" he heard Margaret say as he stepped into the ocean blue limo. He wasn't sure why this always happened but whenever he in stepped through the entrance he always ended up on this chair without any memory of sitting down anywhere. Thankfully he was very use to the light feeling he got whenever he stepped inside the room. How could he when he still had bright memories of losing his lunch and decorating the clean blue floor with a brand new paint job the first time he entered the room of his own free will. Needless to say it was a full week before he was invited in again.

As expected Margaret and Igor were in their familiar sitting positions with Igor leaning against his cane while Margaret was holding the large book in her lap. Blending in with room perfectly especially when Marie wasn't around to mess up their blues by wearing anything but blue. Speaking of Marie? She wasn't present at the moment

"Hey guys, how's it going?" he greeted back.

"Pleasant as always, what can we do for you today?" Igor answered while Margaret offered a small smile.

"i just wanted to fuse some my Persona's together, Marie's not available today?" Kirei asked casually. As soon as he mentioned her name he could sworn he saw Margaret tense up a little. Looking back at him a professional demeanor she responded.

"Unfortunately yes, she dealing with some matters that concern us beings from the Velvet room right now. She'll back as soon as the matter is resolved" she said mechanically. Her tone was completely calm but Kirei couldn't help but feel slightly concerned.

"A matter, is it serious?" he asked. Margaret simply just shook her head and smiled at him.

"There's no need for concern, dear guest. Its a very simple matter to deal with. It may just take while before she returns" she said reassuringly.

He wasn't convinced but the decided to let go anyway, after all, even though Marie was now his girlfriend it was still easy to forget that she wasn't actually human. He hardly understood anything about the two inhabitants of the Velvet room, but he suspected their duties likely extended beyond just helping him kill mysterious dark beings that lived in a TV. It was something they decided he didn't needed to know and he was willing to respect that decision since he would have surely failed without their assistance.

After fusing together random persona's and spending sometime on the compendium with Margaret he was prepared to leave when he heard Igor call out to him.

"Wait a moment dear guest, there is one more thing I would like to tell you before you leave" he said causing Kirei to turn back and look at him.

"Really? What is it?" he asked curiously.

"Next time you step into the shadow realm, do make sure you're in a clear state of mind" the old man advised.

"A clear mind, sure I always have a clear mind whenever i enter the TV" he replied confidently. Offering back a small smile Igor tapped his cane on the floor once and there was bright white flash that completely enveloped his field of vision. It lasted for about ten seconds before it faded and he was back in the streets.

' _I hate it when he does that'_ Kirei thought as he struggled to get his bearings without tripping over something as he was so use to doing in the past. Smiling in triumph when he didn't get intimate the with the floor for once he brushed himself off and headed back home. But as he retired to bed that night he couldn't help but wonder what Marie was doing. Completely oblivious the ownerless shadow that formed on the wall next to his sleeping figure.

 **Wow, this chapter took a lot longer to finish than planned, I wasn't expecting this week to turn out so hectic. Sorry for the late update, unfortunately I can't promise another chapter at the end of the week either.**

 **Anyway, what do you guys think of my fic so far? I'm having a lot of fun writing it. Though I found it a little daunting to write all the characters accurately. Marie's perspective for example wasn't something I ever planned on writing so I was a little lost on how to write her, so mostly just wrote whatever came to mind. I also tried give my MC more personality since I found Yu to be a little too deadpan and dull as a protagonist. I just wasn't feeling it whenever I tried writing him.**

 **Well until next time be sure to read and leave a review if you liked it.**

 **-Vertero out.**


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